Vital Signs: Housing Inflation Starts to Rise

Inflation remains muted at the start of 2014, but one large price category is beginning to move higher.

The Labor Department said Thursday that the consumer price index of all goods and services increased 1.6% in the year ended in January. The core CPI, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, was also up just 1.6%. Both indexes show consumer inflation remains muted in the U.S. economy, allowing the Federal Reserve to focus more on the labor markets when making monetary policy decisions.